“Good
for you. Buy yourself some ale and get ripped. Or
better
yet, buy something to tie your mouth shut with, because your voice is
beginning to irritate me.”

Bey pushed himself
forward, his
stride carrying him along so quickly that Silva had to increase his own
pace just to keep up with the smaller man. He would have
accused
him of trying to run away from their problem, but Bey was always like
this when he was irritated. Better they did their rounds
twice in
half the time than Bey find some other outlet for his energy.
Although a good fight might do them both some good. At least
it
might tire Bey out enough that he’d have to listen.

“I
checked
with the caravan from Tierna that came in last night. They
said
both Nor and Tien Si are looking to increase their city
guards.
There should be no difficulty in –“

Bey muttered
something under
his breath and turned into a small alley no more than two paces
wide. Silva immediately shut up. Hand on
his pommel,
he followed warily. Eyes peering into the pale, mid-day
shadows
for what had caught Bey’s attention, he was completely surprised when
Bey suddenly turned and slammed him into a stone wall.

With
a snarl, Bey shoved his face into Silva’s and kissed him sharply, a
stunning, blade-hard assault of lips and tongue. Fingers worked the
fasteners of Silva’s vest, pulling them apart until Silva could feel
the harsh fabric of Bey’s cording against his nipples. And
then
Bey pulled back and started to yank at the ties to Silva’s
pants.

Silva grabbed his hand and shoved it away. “Bey,
this isn’t the time…” He swore as Bey simply switched hands.

“I
told you, shut up. Actually, let me do that for you.”

Bey’s
mouth slammed back down onto his and Silva brought up his arms to shove
him away. He couldn’t understand why his hands decided to
grip
Bey’s shoulders instead. It had to be the man’s tongue, he
thought, his head swimming. It was more seductive than a
professional prostitute’s. He moaned faintly as it slipped its way into
his mouth, raping him with a gentle touch at odds with the hard
pressure of Bey’s lips. Then the slickness was gone and Silva
yelled out as he was spun around. With a quick hiss, his loosened ties
were yanked open and his pants were around his knees.

“Bey!
This isn’t the time to be…” He finished on a gasp as Bey
gripped
Silva’s cock with a hard hand. A few strokes later and the
man
bucked against his body, sliding thick and hot between the cheeks of
his ass.

Silva moaned again, his face pressed
against the
wall. The rough stones of the alley disappeared as his body
focused on the heavy thrusting against his backside and how it pushed
him into the hard, callused hand around his cock. His
determination to get Bey to leave, his anger and frustrating,
everything drained away. And then he felt Bey nudging at his
body, seeking entrance, and he damned himself for arching back to let
him in. He could only gasp when Bey took him up on his
invitation.

His breath came in sudden
pants, expelled
violently every time Bey thrust into him. His hands clutched
at
the wall, scraping at the rounded stones desperately for purchase he
couldn’t find. There was no finesse, just Bey’s hips and his
cock
and the deep, burning ache in Silva’s belly and the grip around his
cock. He bit his lip rather than cry out as he felt his
orgasm
hit him so quickly it was shattering, Bey’s body still slamming into
him with quick, jerking snaps. Bey grunted against his
shoulder
as he finished, pressing his entire body against him, the heat where
they joined burning compared to the cool, heavy fabric from their
clothed bodies.

Silva rested his forehead against
the cobbled
wall, trying to catch his breath. With a careful shifting,
Bey
pulled out from his body, and Silva could hear him doing up his
pants. The noises from the marketplace slowly came back into
focus. With shaky legs, Silva turned around, still leaning
against the wall. Bey looked him over, watching his face
carefully before smiling. With a sudden cheerful whistling,
he
turned and started towards the end of the alley. He turned
back
just before he was out of sight, leering at Silva’s half naked
body.

“Told you I’d take care of
shutting you up. Pretty damn good at my job, wouldn’t you
say, Princess?”

An
elderly male couple walked by at that exact moment and stared. Silva’s
attempted growl ended on a yelp as he grabbed frantically at his pants
to try and cover himself. One of the old men, a green clad
wood-cutter with biceps that were still impressive, turned to look at
Bey and shook his head.

“Deplorable. That
is utterly
appalling,” the old man said, shaking his finger at Bey. Silva’s hands
flew as he tied his pants hastily, trying to make it out before Bey
laid into the man. The lecherous idiot had no shame, and no
patience for those who tried to force such a quality on him.

“Look
at his chest!” The man pointed as though it was unclear who he might be
talking about and his quavering voice lashed out. “It’s
abraded! What were you thinking?! Next time, use
that wall
over by Noble Commons – it’s got moss on it so you won’t scrape his
skin.”

Silva froze half-way down the alley, staring
at them with
his mouth hanging open as both oldsters nodded
decisively.
Glancing down at himself to see the reddened skin he hadn’t even felt
himself damaging, he flushed deeply. He heard Bey choking and thanking
the man, snorting as the men muttered angrily to themselves as they
left.

“Boys these days. Can’t believe how
little concern
they have for their partners. In my day we were considerate
when
we fucked a young man out in public.” His partner nodded in
agreement while they walked away and Bey started laughing before they
were even out of earshot.

He looked back at Silva,
smirking. “I guess I need to apologize. I’ll be
much more
considerate the next time we fuck in an alley.”

“Shut
up, Bey.”

Silva
stomped passed him and made sure to elbow him in the gut and step on
his toes as he passed. Bey simply grinned at him after one
surprised grunt.

“You know, we’re on duty near Noble
Commons tomorrow, we could-”

“Do not finish that
thought.” Silva glared at him as Bey stepped near. “Deviate.”

Silva’s
fist shot out and caught Bey by surprise, knocking him into an apple
cart. He kept walking as the shopkeeper and Bey began cursing
at
each other while his partner tried to pull his foot free from the
wooden spokes of the cart.

Leaving Bey here for
his father to find was extremely tempting.

***

“They’ll
castrate you,” Silva said, trying to keep his voice low and still loud
enough to be heard over the other patrons at the bar.

“They
can always try,” Bey said casually, sipping at his beer with a bored
slurp.

“Don’t
be so dismissive. Think about this seriously, Bey!
What
would your life be like once that happened? No sex, ever
again.” Bey ignored him to look around the bar, his eyes
lingering on a young man’s ass as the servant bent over to wash one of
the nearby tables. Silva felt his heart pound painfully as he
noticed it. His own reaction made him even angrier.

It
wasn’t as though he wasn’t aware of who Bey was. Sex might
have
entered their relationship with a sudden, concussive bang, but for Bey,
that’s all it was. Silva had no illusions about that. Now
that
his anger had dissipated, it looked like Bey wasn’t going to do
anything about their marriage but use it to his advantage for a little
while, and then he’d be off flirting and enjoying himself when he was
tired of it. That’s just the way he was.

And
Silva wanted
to ensure that he could continue existing that way, whatever his
personal feelings over it were, if only the stubborn pervert would
cooperate!

“Will you pay attention, Bey!
This is your cock
we’re discussing here! I’m sure you would rather it be
referred
to as a sausage, not literally become one!! And you cannot
tell
me that you would be sitting here so calmly if you truly believed you
could lose your cock. Think! What would you do, if
you knew
someone was coming to cut it off tomorrow!” Silva shoved the
beer
out of Bey’s hand and it sloshed over the table. Bey turned
to
look at him finally, his eyes clouding.

“We
need some
privacy for this conversation,” Bey said darkly. He flipped a
coin to bartender, nodding towards the stairs, and got a hand gesture
for the red room. Silva composed himself. At least
now Bey
might listen to him. He centered himself, burying the upset
and
nerves over the fact that it had been three days already and they were
still here. Maybe now he could convince his stubborn bride to
remove himself from the immediate area.

Bey opened
the door and
gestured him gallantly inside. Silva eyed him suspiciously –
Bey
wasn’t gallant unless he wanted something – but he stepped across the
threshold. The man’s quirks were nothing new, and Silva could
give up quite a bit at this point, if only Bey would agree to
leave. He regretted his easy acceptance of his
friend’s odd
behavior as he was sent sprawling to the floor with a sudden, hard
shove against his back. Hearing the door slam, Silva managed
to
roll over just as Bey straddled his body and pinned him.

Warm,
heavy muscles sat on his cock and Silva swallowed. He stared
into
Bey’s eyes, their pupils huge as they glared at him, and it felt like
his heart literally stuttered as it beat against his chest.

“You
wanna know what I’d do if my dick was gonna be cut up tomorrow,
Silva? This is what I’d do.” Bey moved his lips
towards
Silva’s and it took everything the silver-haired man had not to moan
before they even got there.

They needed to
leave. They needed to talk.

But those lips
were like a drug.

“Bey, we need to…”

“When
are you going to learn to just shut up,” Bey murmured, and his lips
came down on Silva’s like the wrath of a lustful god.

***

Two
more days and two more botched discussions later, Silva was desperate
enough to challenge Bey physically. If he could overpower
him, he
could take the man out of town whether he liked it or not.
They
had lost too much time as it was, already.

He waited
until they
were off shift, heading out towards the nearest tavern. It
was a
crowded night, but moonless. A good night for
stealth. The
dark made it easy to catch Bey unaware, knocking the wind out of him as
Silva slammed him into a wall. Bey still managed to catch him
behind the leg as they struggled, however, and they both went
sprawling. Hands, feet, heads, teeth – it was dirty fighting
on
both their parts. And completely pointless. By the
end,
neither one was able to do anything but curse at each other through
swollen lips, and they had to wait for the guard on shift to spot them
and get them help back to their room.

The guard’s
physician
confined them to quarters for two shifts, but at least the commander
wrote it off as a ‘newlywed quarrel’ and told them to keep their little
spats less physical next time.

Watching
Bey the next
day, as they both walked around like elderly men until they took the
powder the physician had left, Silva was reminded of one last option to
gain Bey’s compliance: drugs. He wouldn’t have to struggle
with
Bey at all, if the man was unconscious when they departed. So
when his friend went to bed early that night, groaning and whining
about what hurt, and where Silva should kiss to make it better, Silva
went out and contacted the apothecary for advice. For nearly
a
quarter of the gold he’d collected for their trip, she was willing to
sell him two of the more potent herbal sedatives she had.
They
should keep Bey out for at least a day, possibly longer. All
he’d
have to do was slip it into his morning ale. It shouldn’t be
too
difficult. Bey was always very social at public meals,
chatting
and flirting with everyone around him. He barely noticed what
he
put in his mouth. It would be easy.

***

Silva
woke up with his mouth feeling like grated paper. Blinking in
the
faint light of dawn seeping through the window, he tried to remember
why. Had he been drinking again? He didn’t recall
indulging
himself. Ever since he and Bey had-

Bey!
His attempt
to sit up ended with a harsh jerk as his hands refused to move from
their position above his head. He looked up quickly, saw his
hands tied to the frame of his own cot, and started pulling.
His
attempt to move his feet ended as almost as quickly, and he realized
they were tied as well. What had happened? Had
Father found
him?! Where was-

There was a muttered
groan near his ear
and a heavy arm slid across his nude chest and curled around his ribs
to cuddle underneath his back. He could feel the warmth of
another body press against his side. One muscled leg flopped over both
of his with another deep grunt.

“Mmmnnnnnh!”

Silva
shook his head as his attempt to call his partner ended up as a
strangled, ferocious mutter. There was a gag in his
mouth!
Something ragged and feathery and – he inhaled through his nose and
almost sneezed – smelling of dust. Bucking his body up, he
managed to dislodge the leg across his own but the arm merely
tightened. He squirmed, writhing angrily. He knew
it was
Bey embracing him, but why?

His brow furrowed as
he struggled
with thoughts that still felt heavy and thick. He could
remember
Bey drinking the doctored ale. It had been ridiculously easy
to
slip it in. He’d toasted a few minor events, to make sure Bey
drank it as quickly as possible, and then… what had happened?

He
squirmed again, trying to get out from under Bey, and stared into
irritated blue eyes as the man leaned his head up to glare at him.

“Shhhh.
I’m trying to sleep here, Silva.” The dark head flonked back onto the
cot and Bey moved in close again, nuzzling against Silva’s exposed
armpit. He licked the hollow with a light flick and Silva
shook
wildly. His entire body convulsed.

“Nnnnnnnhmmmm!”

Bey chuckled and licked again. “I didn’t
know you were ticklish. Oh, I can have some real fun with
this.”

Silva threw his body against his restraints
so hard the cot almost tipped over and Bey grumbled, pulling back.

“Crap,
you’d think you’d never been tied up and drugged before. What
a baby.”

Silva
stared at him as he yawned and sat up. Bey stretched his arms
above his head unselfconsciously, scratching under his jaw
afterwards. He popped his neck so loudly Silva
winced. And
then he turned, bracing his body over Silva’s and sitting down until
his naked ass pressed directly on Silva’s member. One hand on
either side of Silva’s head, he brought his face so close that Silva
finally got a good look into his eyes.

He honestly
wished he
hadn’t. Bey was looking exceedingly unhappy.
Furious might
be too strong a word, but not by much. Silva wished he were
anywhere but helpless and underneath the man.

“You
shouldn’t try
to serve a dish you can’t stomach yourself, Silva. Don’t you
know
that by now?” Bey said quietly. Silva
groaned.
Damn. Bey had managed to drug his beer somehow
instead. The
lecher leaned down and licked lightly at Silva’s jawline.
Silva
started to get angry himself as Bey’s tongue ran smoothly over soft,
slick skin.

It shouldn’t have been
smooth; he’d been growing his beard back in. The insufferable
baboon had shaved his face again.

“Jnnnmmlldddddnnnn!”

“Such
language. I wonder if I should punish you for it.” Silva’s
eyes
widened. Bey’s voice was soft and teasing, but he still
looked on
the edge of a fight. Silva bit back a yelp as Bey’s hand
moved
and he felt a sharp, stinging pinch on the side of his
backside.

“Now,
I’m going to take off the gag, Princess, and we’re going to have a
nice, long talk.” His hands were moving before he finished speaking and
Silva worked his jaw around as the filthy fabric was untied and tossed
to the floor.

“Water.”

Bey
raised an eyebrow and sat
back, pressing his ass onto Silva’s cock and grinding down. Silva
closed his eyes, groaning slightly at the urge to thrust that swept
over him.

“Bey, don’t be such a
degenerate lecher. My mouth is dryer than the Siletti
Plains. I need water.”

Bey
ignored him for a few moments, rolling his hips so that Silva’s member
was gripped in the cleft of his ass. When Silva gave in and
pushed up with his hips, Bey stopped and hopped off with a victorious
grin. He brought back a small cup, holding it near Silva’s
face.

“Say please.”

“Bey, this is
childish. Let me up and-“

“Say
please, Silva. You want the water, you can at least show me
those
manners you always trot out for everyone.” Bey took a sip,
gulping ostentatiously, and Silva licked his dry lips.

He
glared at the man standing over him. “You are the most
irritating, petulant, ridiculous –“

Bey
took another sip and Silva shut up. “Don’t stop on my
account. Really. Go ahead. I might get
thirsty enough
to drink the entire glass by the time you’re done, but don’t let that
stop you.”

Silva grit his teeth. “Please.”

With
a
triumphant grin, Bey lifted Silva’s head and took another
drink.
Silva was about to protest when the man sealed his lips to Silva’s and
let the cool liquid slide in with his tongue, curling around Silva’s
dry mouth. He pulled back with a frown and rubbed a thumb
over
Silva’s chapped lips.

“Damn, Princess, you really
are dry.
Sorry about that. I didn’t realize.” He held the
cup up to
Silva’s mouth, suddenly all business, and let Silva gulp the entire
glass awkwardly. He refilled the cup and repeated it until
Silva
finally said enough.

The stared at each
other, both nude
and half-erect. Silva pulled at his bindings again, making
the
cot creak. “Bey, let me up. Whatever idea you have
in your
head, this isn’t the way to solve it.”

“I’m not
trying to solve
anything. I’m just making certain you don’t try to jump me in
my
sleep,” Bey said calmly, sitting down on the edge of the cot and laying
his hand over Silva’s stomach. “Considering you were trying
to
knock me out, you can’t blame a man for being a little wary about
falling asleep next to you. Who knows what you were going to
do.”

Silva looked him over carefully. He
didn’t seem to be joking. “You know what I was trying to do.”

A head shake answered him while Bey’s fingers
circled his naval absently.

“If
I knew, I wouldn’t have tied you up. I’m assuming something
sexual, which I could most certainly accommodate you on, but it could
be something a lot less interesting. In that case, you’re
likely
shit out of luck, Silva. You know you shouldn’t try that sort
of
crap with me. I’ve been drugged and fucked silly by
sneakier men than you could ever be. And besides, your
stealth is
more like a tiger trying to hide in a henhouse.”

Silva
winced. He was certain he hadn’t been quite that obvious, but
it
had been enough to tip his hand to Bey, obviously. He tugged
at
his hands again.

“Not
going to happen, ice-top. Or maybe I should change that to
ice-bottom, considering your position. “ His fingers wrapped around
Silva’s cock and gripped tightly, pulling back on the foreskin
slightly. Silva tried to twist away.

“Bey…”

Bey’s
hand released him and slid down further, curling around his balls and
burrowing between his thighs. Silva clamped them tight and
trapped his hand. Using the opportunity, Bey tickled the
underside of his thighs until Silva couldn’t help himself and started
squirming and laughing uncontrollably.

The hand was
pulled away
with a snort. “Most ticklish damn man I’ve ever
met.
Come on, now. Tell Uncle Bey what he wants to know or he
might
have to put you over his knees, eh?”

Bey’s
eyes finally
lost a little of their edge and they drifted down while his lips
twisted in that way Silva knew meant he was thinking of something
carnal.

“That
wouldn’t do either of us any good. Don’t you remember what
Dik’s
matchmaker told him? Couples should be completely open with
each
other. They should share their thoughts and
feelings. And
I’m sure that the feeling in my hand should be shared with your ass as
soon as possible.” He grinned slowly, hands reaching down for
Silva’s legs again.

Silva snarled.
“Bey! Do not think you can simply continue on this path
without a great deal of pain later.”

“Sure.
You’re welcome to return the favor sometime, if you can get me
pinned. I can appreciate a good spanking as much as the next
man.” Bey said it so casually it took Silva a moment to comprehend what
he’d just said.

“You- You’re not serious?”

“Of
course I’m serious. Like I said, you don’t serve a dish you
can’t stomach.”

Silva
shook his head. “Well I don’t care to serve this particular
dish
at all, nor to have it served to me! Bey…stop this.
You
know why I was trying to- We need to leave.”

Bey
stopped. “I knew you’d given in too easily on that.”

“We
beat each other unconscious!”

“Only
once.” Bey shrugged. “Surprised me that was enough to stop you, but I
didn’t expect you to try and drug me. You’re not usually so
sly. What, did you think you could persuade me while I was
out
cold?”

“Don’t be an idiot. I have two
horses ready to
carry the both of us out of here. I planned to have you over
a
day out of town by the time you woke up! I don’t care at this
point why you leave, you simply need to! You’ll be killed if
you
stay here, you mule-headed fool!”

Bey shook his head
and sighed,
turning as the bells sounded in the courtyard. “Ah, time for
our
shift. Too bad. We could have had some fun.” He
untied
Silva as though they’d merely been discussing their commander’s latest
mistress and Silva rubbed at his wrists in frustrated
silence. He
kicked Bey in the stomach as soon as his legs were free, ashamed to
admit that he enjoyed seeing the man fall down and dry heave.

Still
kneeling, head close to the ground, Bey reached out and pulled on the
cot, toppling it over. Silva gave a startled shout as he
slammed
into the wall.

“Get dressed, Silva,” Bey coughed,
getting to his feet. “Or I really will find a way to spank
you, bells or no.”

“We
need to LEAVE, Bey.” Silva’s voice was just as hoarse as he clambered
over the wreck of his cot. He thought three of the leg
spindles
were cracked through. “It’s been over a week now.
We’re
almost out of time.”

Bey shook his head as he shoved
his legs
into his pants. The muscles of his chest shifted and drew Silva’s gaze.
“You are the most exasperating gloom merchant I’ve ever met.”

“You
don’t understand how dangerous-“

Bey
turned, his hands clenched on his hips. “Silva, understand
this. I don’t care how dangerous your father is, or your
brothers, or uncles or whoever else is coming for you and your tight,
little ass. I’m not going to spend my life running.
You run
and you just end up overlooking the snake in your path or setting off
the panther in the underbrush. You warned me they were
coming,
and that’s all you need to do. I’m a grown man, and I’m on my
guard now. If they think they’ll be coming after some May boy
who’s an easy kill, they’ll be in for a surprise.”

Silva
stared
at him, his stomach sinking. He could see Bey’s point, why
did
Bey refuse to see his? Sighing, he watched the man
move as
Bey walked over and offered him a hand up. Silva took it and
moaned as Bey slipped his hand behind Silva’s head as he stood and
kissed him hard enough to bruise. The musky smell of the man’s sweat
had his cock swelling painfully again. He could feel his nipples harden
against Bey’s chest as his mouth was rimmed and penetrated for so long
that he struggled to breathe. Staring and blinking was all Silva felt
capable of as Bey let go. The man licked his lips with a
satisfied sigh.

“Now stop picking at this every damn
minute.
We’re supposed to be married, and you’ve been so tense we haven’t had
sex since the first damn night. Relax or you’re
going to
injure something.”

“Haven’t had… “ Silva sputtered
weakly.
It felt difficult to talk. “Haven’t had sex? Have
you
forgotten the alley?”

“That was an impulse
fuck. Doesn’t
count.” Bey waved his hand dismissively before slipping on his
tunic. Silva’s mind recovered, found a little of itself, and
his
irritation returned along with it.

“The night at the
inn.”

“Frottage is not sex.”

Silva’s
eyes narrowed as he caught the clothing Bey tossed his way.

“Ton’s
party.”

“Two person circle-jerk.”

“The
guardhouse.”

Bey
suddenly grinned, leaning against the wall while he waited for Silva to
finish dressing. “That was a pretty sweet rim job, wasn’t
it? I never knew you could scream that loudly.”

Silva
flushed darkly. “But you admit it was-“

“I
never finished, remember? You woke everyone up and they all
came over.”

Silva
pulled his tunic over his head to hide a deep blush. “Oh
yes. I’d forgotten,” he murmured. “But all the
times in our
room we’ve-“

Bey was already shaking his head,
counting off on
his fingers. “Two deep throats – you’re welcome, by the way – one hand
job, another rimming, and two episodes of groping to climax.
No
penetration of either sets of asses.”

“Yeah.
You need to loosen up. I can definitely help with that.” Bey smiled
again, sending a shiver down Silva’s spine. “We’ll deal with
your
family when they come.”

Silva could
barely nod, but he
managed it. He shouldn’t be surprised that Bey had his own
warped
standards for what counted as a sexual encounter, but he still wasn’t
dropping this. Bey might be right about not running, in a
way,
but Silva could at least ensure Bey was safe and protected
before
he confronted his own father. If he used some of his savings
and
hired enough people to kidnap him, maybe...

Past
the
southern countries, he’d have a hard time getting back, and knowing
Bey, he likely wouldn’t bother. Silva could probably find
someone
reliable enough to take him there. He’d be furious, of
course,
and happy to beat Silva bloody if they came across each other
again. But Silva knew he’d be safe. Traveling back
here to
find Silva was simply not in his makeup. The man didn’t make
close connections that lasted across distance; he’d lost touch with
every man who’d left the guard, usually within months. He was
always too rooted in his immediate surroundings to worry overly much
about what was outside of his influence. Vengeance or
friendship
weren’t enough to make him return all that way.

If
Silva got him
out of the way, and then gave himself up to father, Bey should be
safe. He grit his teeth as he realized what that would
entail. He’d get a few beatings, likely quite a few if they
tried
to find out where Bey was, but maybe it was time to stop running and
confront the old graybeard.

“Well. What
are you
daydreaming about now?” Bey stood by the open doorway, watching as
Silva stood fully dressed, staring into the air.

Silva
shook his head, passing him as he quickly walked out the door. “Just
thinking.”

He didn’t see Bey’s suspicious look
following him as they headed down the hallway.